Clerked

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A person has carried out responsibilities typical of an office worker who manages paperwork and client interactions
2. An individual has taken on functions associated with a support role that involves keeping records and dealing with customers
3. Handled duties related to office administration and customer service

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "clerked" is how far its ancestor's meaning drifted from the desk. The root is Ancient Greek "klēros", meaning "lot" or "inheritance," originally a shard used in casting lots. Church writers used the adjective "klērikos" for those belonging to the clergy, and Late Latin turned it into "clēricus," meaning priest or clergyman. Because the clergy were often the only educated people in medieval Europe, the word also came to mean any learned man. In Old English it appeared as "clerc," and it carried that sense of a learned person, especially one who could read and write, into Middle English. Over time the word narrowed from the scholar in holy orders to the person who kept records, wrote letters and handled accounts for others. "Cleric" is its doublet, entering English separately through a different route and keeping the church sense. "Clerked" is simply the past tense of "clerk," so it describes someone who performed that record-keeping work.